Tom Shehan (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Ring, and compliment him on the job he is doing. As other Members have stated, his enthusiasm and energy is well noted in the tourism sector.

The Bill is to be welcomed. It shows that the Government intends that one of the cornerstones that will bring this country out of recession is tourism. It is making provision for that, on which I compliment the Government, rather than doing it in a rushed manner, off the cuff.

Senators referred to the disappointing number of visitors from Great Britain. I spoke to a hotelier in my part of County Kerry recently and asked him how business was going during the year. He said he had a very good year. When I asked where the majority of tourists had come from, he said it was Great Britain. I asked him how he had achieved that. He replied that the hotel chain opened an office in Great Britain and it had its own ambassadors on the ground selling its hotels and County Kerry. The endeavour was very successful. I am a firm advocate of that type of ambassadorial approach rather than spending millions on television advertisements. That approach does not work for me. It would not entice me to go somewhere. I am much more impressed when I meet someone who talks up an area and portrays its beauty and positive characteristics.

I will not reveal outside the House that I never knew where Haggardstown was until Senator Jim D'Arcy was elected to the House. Not only do I know about Haggardstown now, I know about Sexton's in Haggardstown. If we can take that approach abroad there is significant potential, especially in the UK which is just across the water. One can get there in an hour.